Sitting Duck Tavern

Nice little place to hang out. Good food. However they are overpricing their Craft beer. If your going to offer craft beer that isn’t always so easy to get you shouldn’t take advantage and over price it. Might have to start hanging out at Maxwell’s more.

I love the atmosphere in this place. However, the food portions are so small. They bring you a huge plate and you are like ok where did the food go? Very deceiving and for the price of the food. Not cool I haven’t been back since. They seriously need to increase their portions. Not everyone is on a diet. Everyone at our table was in shock. We had no problem with service. I hope they read these reviews and fix the issues cuz I hate to see this great place close up.

After a day of hiking we stopped in for a drink and a quick bite. We started with the Rustic Bean Bruschetta, it was beans sautéed with fennel and sausage with spinach served over crostini. It was good, but one tip from me would be to ask for extra bread and a spoon to serve the dish if your sharing the app.
We then moved on to our entrees, Grilled Cheese and Tomato Bisque (very good), Turkey Burger, Pineland Burger. One of the guest in our party requested to have her burger on bread and the waitress said «we do not have regular Bread». So we just got the burger on a bun. Once we received our sandwiches the guest that ordered the grilled cheese said «look I got regular bread with my grilled cheese», I thought they didn’t have BREAD. it seems the Indians do not know what the Chief (CHEF) is doing at Sitting Duck… Overall the food was average and the service was slow and not very knowledgeable.

I actually enjoyed this place. I ordered duck wings and calamari and it wasn’t perfect but it was well worth the price and I definitely would come back if it wasn’t for me living in Alaska. I think it’s a good dive bar with a great atmosphere and a staff that always smiles. I wish I stayed around to try more beers

I have to agree with a previous reviewer. Stopped in for lunch and they were understaffed. I ate at the bar and the bar tender was helping wait tables. When you have a restaurant you always have someone behind the bar. Almost left but the bar tender returned in the nick of time to get us some beers. I had a burger and it was very good. Other person had the fish and chips and they were also good.

I’ve been to The Sitting Duck a few times now, mainly while visiting friends in Stratford. It has the vibe of being a great local pub, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark.
It seems like they are understaffed every time we eat there, as we wait 10 minutes for drinks, 10 minutes to order, 20 minutes for food, and another 20 for the check.
That being said, the food is good, and probably one of the best places around. The duck wings are great to start with, and the salads, sandwiches, and burgers are all great.
If you’re just coming to drink, you should be fine. They have plenty of beers and wine, just be ready to deal with a couple of obnoxious patrons.

Food is really good… burgers are the best… buffalo wings where also excellent even tho 7 wings where 9.00…service on the other hand was a bit lacking… although friendly and professional, our 2 unsweetened ice teas came after the wings came and they took 15 min to arrive… we went early and there was only about 8 people in the bar so they weren’t busy.
Will def go again the food was really good and people polite… just have patience… it is worth it

Just had great burgers! What a great place right on Main Street. We’ll definitely be back if up this way again.

Ordered from octoberfest menu-​good Bavarian pretzels and hearty chicken and beef stroganoff-​came with «homemade pumpkin pie and cinnamon whipped cream». Nope-​maybe a bjs pie and they had to go around the corner to get some reddiwhip. «A» for effort to get the whipped cream-​after all-​gotta have it with pie!

Based on the burgers this restaurant is fantastic! Truffle fries are delicious and so are the soft pretzels! Will be back to try something new!

Came for lunch with coworkers, i had been here a few years ago on a sunday for football and remembered the food being good. We ordered 3 salads (1 Cobb, 2 goats with added chicken for 3.99 more) and a sandwich.
The salads arrived and I was not impressed with the size, for 17 bucks I should get a big sized salad in my opinion. Also there were no candied walnuts to be found and it definitely said it on the menu. So I found our waiter and asked about them, he had no idea and said he would check. He came back with 2 sides of walnuts. We tasted them and they were in no way candied, they tasted like plain burnt walnuts. We actually wound up giving them to the coworker who got the Cobb salad and had already finished it as he stated «im Still so hungry i dont care if they taste bad I need more to eat».
The goat salads were very tasty, same with the other orders per their comments, just not impressed with the size of them for the money.
Would I be back? Maybe, but I would probably stick with apps and drinks like the first time I came here.

Travelling north on the Merritt on a Friday evening is never a pleasant experience, but given the recommendations from others about the burger at The Sitting Duck Tavern in Stratford, we waited through the traffic and delays and eventually arrived in downtown Stratford around 7PM. The exterior tables were was already completely full, did not want one upstairs, and we grabbed a booth on the right side overlooking the kitchen pass.
Our server was very prompt in the drink and food orders and was knowledgeable and pleasant throughout the meal. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, medium-​rare, with bacon and fronions with a side of French fries. There were two other burger orders from the group, the other two were ordered medium, plus we ordered a side of onion rings for the table.
When the burgers arrived the first thing I noticed was the size of the patty. Sitting Duck is very generous with the meat. I lifted the top bun and saw the two slices of bacon, the melted cheese, but barely any fronions. I was disappointed in the meagerness of the fronions. This all sat atop shredded lettuce and a thin slice of tomato. I cut the burger in half and it was more medium than medium-​rare and one of my dinner companions was the medium-​rare doneness while mine was the medium… just a little carelessness by the kitchen.
I tasted the meat and was impressed, it had a medium level of beefiness and very tasty. The bacon was well cooked and the cheese was nicely melted. Since I did not order the lettuce and tomato, I removed these two items and took a bite of the complete package, it was very good. The fries were very basic and the restaurant decided to use an off-​brand ketchup, not Heinz, and it was surprisingly good.
The order of onion rings consisted of four, yes four, rings. Three were very small and one was large. It was almost embarrassing, four onion rings in an order for a table of four. The coating was very thick and the onion itself was mushy. Having my single ring was enough.
Overall, I liked the casualness of the Sitting Duck and the burger was pretty good. As I watched the food leave the kitchen my guess is 75% of the orders are burgers, which is a good sign. There is a banner on the front stating it is «A Hidden Gem,» but seeing the crowd and the number of burgers leaving the kitchen I am not sure it is hidden any longer.

This place is one of my favorite spots in Stratford. The food is excellent, the staff is very friendly and accommodating. They have a small but nice outdoor seating area. The bartenders here make the best Old Fashion drinks I have ever had.

I have been here several times and each time I go I’m pleasantly satisfied! The beef tips are always a go to as well as the duck. Their specials for the day are nothing short of amazing. This place get a very busy with the after work crowd so make sure you’re there around 730 ish and sit upstairs.

I just left from having a late lunch with my friend. I ordered the beef tips and pub chips that were outstanding. My friend ordered the Cobb salad which she loved as well.
Our server was very helpful and knowledgeable along with who we believed to be the manger named Steve.
Besides the ambience i would recommend this place to everyone!

Hands down the best calamari appetizer I’ve ever had ! Very fresh and very delicious. The waiter was very friendly and prompt. Tried steak frittes as my main dish with a side of truffle fries. The steak was good but the truffle fries were slightly on the salty side. Will be back to try other items on the menu.

Drove all the way from Westbrook to have dinner here. Definitely worth the trip! Their Bang Bang Shrimp was Dynamite! The warm spinach and artichoke dip with deep fried chips… Delicious. The service was terrific as well. Our server was attentive and we received all our food right on time. Would definitely go back.

A cozy tavern to visit with friends. They offer a variety of plates from fish and chips to fish tacos! My fish and chips were good and my friends all liked what they ordered as well. If you’re a craft beer enthusiast like me, you’ve found your spot! Mostly CT breweries on tap –black hog, half full, back east– and even done hard to find beers. I think we found our after work dinner spot. Gave three stars because one of the waitresses kept hinting us to leave. It made me feel really uncomfortable.

Stopped by for lunch with friends today. I ordered a burger medium rare. I have been searching for the perfect burger for years and this one was great! On a scale of 1 – 10 this burger was a 9. Cooked perfectly, fresh bun, chipotle rub, not colossal but large. Edible when cut in ½. Fries were hot and properly cooked. I will definitely be back.

I’m kind of disappointed in this place since over time it’s been slowly declining. Food is way over priced compared to the quality of food.
The last time I went in there it was around 9 and we sat at one of the tables near the bar area to eat. The waitress serving tables kept passing us not even acknowledging we were there. We finally went to the bartender to get menus and assured us the waitress would be with us shortly. 15 minutes pass and she has yet to even approach us. At this point we start to get up to leave and the bartender comes over to us asking us if the waitress has come over to us which we tell him no were leaving. Instead of trying to make us stay or at least take our order he simply says «ok» and that was the end of that.
The only thing I like about this place is the décor. Unfortunately décor can’t make up for crappy food and service.